Suction drainage systems in use today typically have a disposable receptacle such as a rigid container or a flexible liner that collects waste (i.e., bodily fluids) from surgical and other patient procedures. A fluid connection line connects the disposable receptacle to the body of the patient. Another line connects the receptacle to a suction source. The aspirated waste is often highly infectious and any exposure caused by spills or leaks of the receptacle should be avoided. Spills and leaks are most common during transportation or changing of receptacles.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an absorbent, a gelling agent, or a germicide to treat the waste before disposal to reduce the possibility of exposure. In some known waste-treating systems, the reservoir containing the waste treating agent is permanently and/or integrally attached to the disposable receptacle of the suction drainage system. A permanent reservoir limits the ability to use different waste treating agents in different situations. Alternatively, a flexible attachment system is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 269,496, entitled, "GELLING TREATMENT FOR SUCTION DRAINAGE", and assigned to and sold by Abbott Laboratories, the assignee of the present invention. One limitation of the above-disclosed flexible attachment waste treatment system is that the system cannot be set up prior to the suction drainage procedure of the waste fluid. Thus, a surgical assistant is required to set up and activate the waste treating system while the surgical procedure is under way or after the surgical procedure has been completed. A small surgical team may not have the extra personnel to initiate this waste treating during or immediately after the surgical procedure. Thus, the hazardous fluids may be left untreated and pose a potential danger until well after the surgical procedure is completed.
The present waste treating system has been particularly configured to facilitate prompt, efficient, and convenient treatment of waste solutions during or after the surgical procedure. The reservoir containing the waste treating agent can be placed in position to treat the waste prior to the start of the surgery, and then readily activated when a disposable receptacle reaches capacity. Thus, the waste containing receptacle can be treated immediately after reaching capacity and therefore reduces the potential for contamination.